Immunohistochemistry was used in this study to evaluate the effects of retinal lesions upon the distribution of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunits in the chick visual system. Following unilateral retinal lesions, the neuropil staining with an antibody against the beta 2 receptor subunit, a major component of alpha-bungarotoxin-insensitive nicotinic receptors, was dramatically re...

Ancient DNA is becoming increasingly recognised as a tool in conservation biology to audit past biodiversity. The widespread loss of Australian biodiversity, especially endemic mammal populations, is of critical concern. An extreme example occurred onDepuch Island, situated off the north-west coast ofWestern Australia, where an unidentified species of rock-wallaby (Petrogale sp.) became extinct...

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate the difference in onset timing between the vastus medialis and lateralis among the different knee alignments, as well as the best isokinetic angular velocity for an isokinetic concentric contraction. [Subjects] Fifty-two adults (20 with genu varum, 12 genu valgum, and 20 controls) were enrolled in this study. Subjects with > 4 cm between th...

Several biochemical changes have been described in noradrenergic neurons of the locus coeruleus (LC) after chronic morphine treatment. Changes in neurochemical expression in opioid afferent projections to the LC may be equally important in modulating noradrenergic neurons during chronic opiate exposure. To test the hypothesis that opioid peptides in LC afferents are altered after chronic opiate...

The expressions of reference genes used in gene expression studies are assumed to be stable under most circumstances. However, studies had demonstrated that genes assumed to be stably expressed in a species are not necessarily stably expressed in other organisms. This study aims to evaluate the likelihood of genus-specific reference genes for liver using comparable microarray datasets from Sper...

Force production profile and neuromuscular activity during slide-based and stationary ergometer rowing at standardized submaximal power output were compared in 14 male and 8 female National Team rowers. Surface electromyography (EMG) was obtained in selected thoracic and leg muscles along with synchronous measurement of handle force and rate of force development (RFD). Compared to stationary co...

BACKGROUND In cancer cachexia, muscle depletion is related to morbidity and mortality. Muscle-wasting mechanisms in cancer patients are not fully understood. OBJECTIVE We investigated the involvement of the proteolytic systems (proteasome, autophagic-lysosomal, calpain, and caspase) in muscle wasting during cancer cachexia. DESIGN Esophageal cancer patients [n = 14; mean ± SD age: 64.1 ± 6....

Projections to the inferior colliculus (IC) from the lateral and medial superior olivary nuclei (LSO and MSO) were studied in the gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) with neuroanatomical tract-tracing methods. The terminal fields of projecting axons were labeled via anterograde transport of biotinylated dextran amine (BDA) and were localized on series of horizontal sections through the IC. In additi...

The autoradiographic [14C]deoxyglucose method for quantitative determination of local cerebral glucose utilization (LCGU) was used to study the compensatory process following hemilabyrinthec tomy in adult cats. In the critical stage when the cats were uncompensated, LCGU in the deafferented vestibular nuclei was well below that of the intact side. Increased LCGU was seen in contralat...

In order to record the effect of carbamate pesticide on hypothalamus of Channa punctatus, fish were exposed to sublethal concentration (0.18 mg l(-1), 30% LC50 for 96 hr) of Cartap for 24, 48, 72 and 96 hr under static bioassay condition. Hypothalamo-neurosecretory complex of the murrel consisted mainly of nucleus preopticus (NPO), nucleus lateralis tuberis (NLT) and their axonal tracts. NPO is...